Posted on July 7th

They didn’t call Hall of Fame Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James “The Edge” for nothing. He was a running back from the Miami Hurricanes who helped the Colts soar to greater heights during the Peyton Manning era. With James racking up yardage on the ground, the Horseshoe became a formidable unit in the 2000s.

Edgerrin James (R), a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, poses with his presenter Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay during the induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 7, 2021 in Canton, Ohio.

They didn’t call Hall of Fame Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James “The Edge” for nothing.

He was a running back from the Miami Hurricanes who helped the Colts soar to greater heights during the Peyton Manning era.

With James racking up yardage on the ground, the Horseshoe became a formidable unit in the 2000s.

Edgerrin James Gave The Colts A Distinct Edge Over The Opposition 

The Colts made James the fourth overall selection of the 1999 NFL Draft.

Colts president and general manager Bill Polian and co. caused a massive uproar in the Circle City with the drafting of James.

Colts fans and other pundits thought Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ricky Williams of the Texas Longhorns was the better choice.

Several years later, James had the last laugh – he flourished under the systems of Jim Mora and Tony Dungy.

He was also one of the pillars of a Colts juggernaut that included Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark.

Williams?

Although he played in the league for 11 seasons, he violated the NFL’s drug policy four times.

The league even suspended him for the entire 2006 NFL campaign.

Williams also became an afterthought after he played his final down in the National Football League in 2011.

Not James.

He had big shoes to fill – after the Colts traded Pro Bowl running back Marshall Faulk to the then-St. Louis Rams in 1999, Edge became his heir apparent.

The running back with the trademark gold teeth and dreadlocks started his pro football career in rousing fashion – he led the league in rushing in his first two seasons from 1999 to 2000.

James quickly silenced the critics with 3,262 rushing yards and two Pro Bowl nods during that time frame.

Behind Edge’s emergence, the Colts, who were 3-13 in 1998, won 10 more games a year later.

They won an average of 12 games in Mora’s second and third year at the helm for the Colts.

However, they never made it past the AFC Divisional Round from 1999 to 2000.

When James tore his ACL before the midway point of the 2001 NFL season, the Colts’ season went downhill fast.

Without James, the Colts won just three of their final 10 games and fell out of postseason contention.

Although Dominic Rhodes did a credible job filling in for James with 1,104 rushing yards in 2001, he clearly wasn’t on Edge’s level.

James eventually regained his Pro Bowl form with consecutive 1,500-yard rushing seasons in 2004 and 2005.

Original Post